Meeting on Muskrat Falls mercury dispute to go ahead without Nunatsiavut

A meeting to discuss the environmental impacts a proposed dam will have on Lake Melville is going ahead, without participation from the Nunatsiavut government.

• No thanks!Nunatsiavutrebuffs request to talk about mercury in LakeMelville

Environment and Conservation Minister PerryTrimpertold CBC Radio'sLabrador Morningthat he wasn't surprised byNunatsiavut'sdecision, but said he's disappointed.

"We are going ahead with the workshop," saidTrimper, who is also the MHA for LakeMelville.

"They won't be there physically but their information will be there.The door will still be open to them and I still hope that they will show."

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Experts from Nalcor, the Nunatsiavut Government and Harvard University had been askedtomeet at the end of the month to discuss research on the impact the Muskrat Falls dam would have on methyl mercury levels.

Nalcordisagrees with researchsuggestingmercury levels in the lake could rise anywhere from 25 to 200 per cent as a result offlooding.

Trimper said the objective of the workshop isn't to negotiate science, but to present all information to parties who haven'tattended previous meetings.

"How the methyl mercury that will occur when the flooding happens at Muskrat Falls, how that will manifest itself to future levels in the food chain, that's where the debate is," Trimper said.

"I must say, the Harvard researcher that we spoke with the other day ... absolutely top notch. There's no question in her capabilities. That said, still, there are some aspects of the calculations, that's what we'd like to explore."

The workshop, which isscheduled to place in St. John's on Tuesday, will be moderated by theOffice of Public Engagement will moderate the event.

Representatives from the provincial departments ofEnvironment and Conservation andHealth and Community Services will attend, in addition to representatives from Health Canadaand Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Trimper said he will consult with the Nunatsiavut government before making his final decision, if he has any questions.